Thank the Lord for the teaching of the apostles, which is the unique and healthy teaching of God’s eternal economy, the entire speaking of God in the Son to His New Testament people!
This week in our morning revival we come to the topic of, The Intrinsic Factor of the Winds of Teaching for their Evil Purpose.
So far, we have seen a lot of positive aspects of the intrinsic essence of the church for its organic existence, for its function, and for its building up, but this time we are looking at a negative aspect.
We have seen the matter of the intrinsic essence of the church for its organic existence, the intrinsic growth of the church for its organic increase, and the intrinsic building up of the church for its organic relationship.
Furthermore, we have seen the intrinsic fellowship of the churches for their organic relationship.
After having such an intrinsic view of all these positive matters related to the church, it seems that we have a turn from a positive, rich, and glorious subject to a very negative subject.
This can be likened to what is happening today with the pandemic all over the globe; when we are in the midst of a pandemic, we all need to be careful.
When everything in the environment is safe and well, there is no need to be cautious, but when we are in a pandemic environment, there is the need for the injection to inoculate.
This week we want to receive an inoculative injection against all germs and viruses. Such an injection pertains not only to the physical world but even more to the spiritual world.
We shouldn’t close our spirit to this subject but rather, we should be inwardly more watchful, having a watchful and open attitude, looking to the Lord how He can use this week and this topic to give us a proper injection.
In particular, we want to focus on the building up of the church as the organic Body of Christ, and this has very much to do with teaching, for if our teaching is healthy and sound, we are built up, but if there are differing teachings, there is tearing down.
Not all teachings based on the Bible build up the church; there are some inappropriate teachings that tear down the church.
Some teachings build up certain denominations and independent groups, but they don’t build up the church as the Body of Christ.
May we beware of winds of teaching, being no longer like little children tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching in the sleight of men (Eph. 4:14).
The Teaching of the Apostles is the Unique and Healthy Teaching of God’s Eternal Economy
The winds of teaching are the unhealthy teachings, the improper teachings; the proper and appropriate teaching is the teaching of the apostles.
The teaching of the apostles is the unique and healthy teaching of God’s eternal economy (Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; 6:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1).
After Peter and those with him preached the gospel on the day of Pentecost, three thousand people were saved, and this was the beginning of the church life in Jerusalem and in Judea.
These all continued steadfastly in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.
We all need to hold to the faithful word which is according to the teaching of the apostles, so that we may be able to exhort others by the healthy teaching (Titus 1:9).
The New Testament speaks of something called, the apostles’ teaching; the divine economy, God’s eternal economy, is the apostles teaching.
This is not just some teachings in Christianity or some good teachings – it is the apostles teaching.
The apostles are those called by God and sent to speak and minister the word of God; and apostle is through the will of God, sent by God, called by God, to speak the word of God and minister the eternal economy of God.
What the apostles speak and do must be fully in compliance with, according to, and through God’s eternal purpose; they are not a group of so-called preachers or evangelists, but those who have an intimate relationship with God’s eternal purpose.
The apostles are the representatives of the Triune God on earth to carry out His eternal purpose; this group of apostles have their teaching, called, the apostles’ teaching.
In Matt. 28:19-20, the Lord Jesus told the disciples to go and baptize all nations into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; then, He continued by saying that they must teach them all that the Lord Jesus had commanded the disciples.
Therefore, fifty days after the Lord’s resurrection, on the day of Pentecost, Peter was the first person after the Lord Jesus to begin preaching this teaching.
When Jesus was on earth, He preached many things, and some people think that the apostles teaching are the words of the Lord Jesus when He was on earth.
However, the Lord Jesus said that He had many other things to speak to them, but they were not ready, so they had to wait for the Spirit of reality to guide them into all the reality and declare to them the words that He had not yet spoken to them.
Through the Spirit of reality, the Lord continued to speak forth.
When Peter and the others spoke, they didn’t speak their own views or concepts – they spoke concerning the Lord Jesus and the processes He went through.
Following Peter there were the others, including John and Paul; though Paul was not among the first group of apostles, he still had a special portion of this ministry, for his words brought the word of God to completion.
The teaching of the apostles is the speaking of the Lord Jesus, both in what He spoke before His death and resurrection and in what He is still speaking after His resurrection.
The apostles are joined to God’s eternal economy, and what they speak and teach is the eternal economy of God.
When the Spirit of reality came, He spoke in and through the apostles, and they uttered and wrote the teaching of the apostles, which is the entire content of the New Testament, the teaching of God’s eternal economy.
Lord, unveil us to see and realize that the teaching of the apostles is the unique and healthy teaching of God’s eternal economy. We want to hold to the faithful word which is according to the teaching of the apostles so that we may exhort others also by the healthy teaching. Infuse us with the healthy words of the apostles’ teaching and make us those who speak only Your economy, the economy of God which is in faith! Amen, Lord, speak to us and speak through us. We join ourselves to You in Your speaking today and we want to speak what benefits the Body of Christ, the healthy words of God’s economy, for the building up of the Body of Christ. Guide us as the Spirit of reality into all the reality of what You are, and make us those who speak one with You for the building up of the church!
The Teaching of the Apostles is the Entire Teaching of the New Testament as God’s Speaking in the Son to us, His New Testament People
Our God is a speaking God: He is not a God who doesn’t speak but rather, He makes Himself known to us by His speaking. In the Old Testament, He spoke in many ways through the fathers and the prophets, but at the last of these days, He has spoken to us in the Son, in Christ (Heb. 1:1-2).
What a tragedy it would be if there were no God in the universe, and what a misery it would be if there were a God yet He would not speak to us, the people!
But praise the Lord, there is a God, and He is a speaking God – He today speaks to us in Christ, the Son of God.
God has spoken in many ways and through many people, and He is still speaking today.
He doesn’t speak to us in many portions or in many ways or through the prophets, but He speaks to us in the Son – He speaks to us in Christ, through Christ, and even Christ Himself.
The Lord’s speaking was recorded in the Gospels, and His speaking was God’s speaking in the Son as the man in the four Gospels (see John 14:10; 5:24; Matt. 28:19-20).
He didn’t speak from Himself but rather, the Father who abode in Him did His works; He and the Father were one, and His speaking was the Father’s speaking.
God’s speaking did not stop, however, with the four Gospels; rather, God continued to speak in the Son as the Spirit through the apostles from Acts to Revelation (see John 16:12-15; Rev. 2:1, 7; 1 Cor. 4:17; 7:17; 2 Pet. 3:15-16; Rev. 1:1-2).
The Lord’s speaking did not stop with His ascension to the heavens; rather, as He spoke in John 16:12-15, He is still speaking to us and through the apostles as the Spirit.
He came to us as the Spirit of reality, and this Spirit declares to us whatever He receives of Christ to guide us into all the reality of what Christ is.
Our God is a speaking God; He spoke in the Old Testament through the prophets, and in the New Testament He continues to speak in the person of the Lord Jesus.
Now, after the Lord’s resurrection and ascension, God continues to speak as the Spirit of reality; He spoke in and through the apostles, and He continues to speak to us.
God’s speaking is not merely by sending someone to speak on His behalf; that was His speaking in the Old Testament, but now He speaks in the person of the Son, Christ Himself, and He speaks as the Spirit.
Because we have the Spirit of reality within us and the teaching of the apostles outside of us, we can have the speaking of God.
The teaching of the apostles is the unique, divine revelation of God’s New Testament economy from the incarnation of God to the consummation of the New Jerusalem (John 1:14; Rev. 21:2).
It concerns the processes our God went through – incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, becoming the Spirit, and descending to be dispensed into and live in all His believers to constitute them as His organic Body and consummate the New Jerusalem.
The teaching of the apostles, which is the entire speaking of God in the New Testament, the entire New Testament revelation, is the holding factor of the one accord; this causes us to have one heart, one way, and one goal (Acts 1:14; 2:42, 46; Jer. 32:39).
After Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost, those who were saved continued in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, with the result that, even though they were from different background and even spoke different dialects, they became the church and were kept in the one accord.
The initial church life in the New Testament was maintained by the saints continuing with one accord in the teaching of the apostles; this teaching was the holding factor of their oneness and one accord.
The believers are not converted to be religious people, followers of a doctrine or religion, or applying Jesus’ teachings to their culture or convenience; rather, the believers put themselves under the unique speaking of God, the teaching of the apostles, and are kept in one accord.
Hallelujah, our God is a speaking God, and He is speaking to us in Christ and through the Spirit of reality who lives in us! Amen, Lord, we open to Your speaking today; guide us as the Spirit into all the reality of what God is to us. We come to Your word, the divine revelation in the New Testament, to know You more, enjoy You more, and experience You more, until we become Your organic Body consummating in the New Jerusalem! Amen, Lord, keep us in the teaching of the apostles so that we may be kept in one accord, having one heart, one way, and one goal! We do not want to go astray from the apostles teaching but remain in the healthy words of God’s eternal economy for the building up of the Body of Christ.
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by the brothers for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1990, The Apostles Teaching, ch. 1, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Intrinsic and Organic Building up of the Church as the Body of Christ (2021 International Chinese-Speaking Conference), week 5, The Intrinsic Factor of the Winds of Teaching for Their Evil Purpose.
- Hymns on this topic:
– Healthy teaching, words, and speaking / Are the ministry of the truth, / Ministering into people the reality of these truths; / Eternal life is the means and the power to carry out, / The divine realities of the faith. (Song on, The faith is the economy)
– This outline of the healthy words, / In faith and love we’ll hold; / All different teaching, fruitless talk, / Reject with spirit bold. / Oh, healthful teaching, wholesome words: / The truth of godliness! / Oh, good deposit, common faith, / And life of holiness! (Hymns #1285)
– God’s economy and goal / According to His heart’s desire / Are to build Himself into our being / And to build us into His being / In order to mingle His divinity with our humanity / Into one entity (one entity)— / The Body of Christ, / Which consummates the New Jerusalem. (Song on, God’s economy is His plan to dispense Himself)
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